Flow Scheduling

This chapter discusses how to create and maintain production line schedules in a flow manufacturing environment.

Introduction
Describes how flow manufacturing makes workflows more efficient.

Overview of Flow Scheduling
Introduces flow scheduling and illustrates the flow scheduling workflow.

Setting Up Flow Scheduling
Describes what information is required to set up flow scheduling.

Creating and Maintaining Flow Schedules
Describes how to create and customize flow schedules for different circumstances.

Exporting Flow Schedules to Repetitive
Describes how to use Export Schedule to Repetitive (17.13.10).

Receiving Completed Flow Scheduled Orders
Describes how to use Flow Schedule Receipts (17.13.7).

Closing Flow Scheduled Orders
Describes how and when to use Flow Schedule Close (17.13.19).

Deleting and Archiving Flow Scheduled Orders
Describes how and when to use Flow Delete/Archive (17.13.23).

Using Flow Schedule Reports
Lists and describes the Flow Inquiry Reports Menu.

Flow manufacturing represents a relatively simple path of production processes chained together in an uninterrupted workflow that follows the natural flow of the product. Each step is evaluated for the amount of value added to a customer—regardless of whether that customer is an end user or the next sequential step in the process. Each step in the process produces only the amount needed at the time it is needed—with minimum materials, equipment, labor, time, and space.

An important goal is to minimize or eliminate nonvalue-added work in the production process. Machines and people are arranged to maintain a steady and efficient flow of work. There is minimal external subassembly work, and completed work typically is not returned to a storage location. Quality is integrated into the flow process. The workers at each step are responsible for meeting quality standards for the current activity as well as previous steps. Defective parts are not set aside for rework—they are either fixed within the process or scrapped.

Visibility within the production process is an extremely important concept in flow manufacturing, where agility to adjust to real demand is critical. To respond quickly and effectively to changes in demand without maintaining overly redundant equipment and extra labor resources, production line managers need fast, accurate information on how different resource scenarios will make the production lines meet current schedules more effectively.

Additionally, the line managers need to know how their lines are performing in relationship to schedules so that they can refine resource configurations to achieve the highest possible performance.